With a career that saw him accumulate almost 500 professional appearances and score over 160 first class goals, many could forgive Mark Bright for spending his retirement on a sun lounger on a Mediterranean beach. Sun, sea and sand isn’t on the agenda for ‘Brighty’ just yet though, the footballer-turned-pundit is gearing up to perform in The Prostate Cancer Charity Tour Ride in September along with many other famous faces. However, before he can think about swapping his football kit for cycling shorts, Mark has to watch a whole month of football out in South Africa with the BBC. Poor him. Sport.co.uk caught up with the former Crystal Palace star to chat about his work with the charity, Gary Lineker, and England's chances at the World Cup.
So Mark, tell us about your role for the Prostate Cancer Charity?
Yeah I’ve been doing it for a couple of years now. Someone I know was involved with the charity and they just asked me to help out and raise awareness. I was looking at the facts and I think Afro-Caribbean people are something like three times more likely to suffer from prostate cancer than anyone else, and it was that statistic that really struck home. I just looked into a bit and started to get involved with some of the events that they are doing.
Are you ready for the Tour Ride in September?
Yeah I will be by the time it comes around. I think I should be ready anyway. I did the one in London last year and it was an absolutely fantastic event. It was well supported and a really nice day. I think it might have been the first time I’ve ever ridden with other riders; I normally just go out on my bike alone.
Moving onto football, everyone remembers your famous partnership with Ian Wright, but you also played with Gary Lineker at Leicester, who was better?
I think at that time it was probably Gary. He was a lot more experienced. Don’t forget that at that time Ian Wright had just come out of non-league when I went to play with him but he developed into a good player.
You came close to winning the FA Cup twice, once with Crystal Palace in 1990 and once with Sheffield Wednesday three years later. Which defeat hurt more?
I think the obvious answer is both defeats. They were virtually the same, but if I had to choose I would probably say the first one. We came within seven or eight minutes of winning and then we didn’t play as well in the replay and that was really frustrating. I think that makes it more disappointing that losing to a good Arsenal side in 1993.
You’re currently out in South Africa with the BBC covering the World Cup, is working for the media a substitute for playing?
No. I don’t think anything is. But I think it is as good as you can get if you are not currently playing. Right now you get to go to the games, it is exciting and you get to go to some great countries. I think it is the second best thing to actually playing football because you can get up close to it and get involved.
What do you think about the increasing amount of players becoming pundits?
I think it is a natural progression. I don’t see how you can have pundits there that have not been players. I think it is alright to have a presenter there, or a broadcaster, but I don’t think a pundit would have a lot of credibility without that experience.
You scored the first goal at the new Wembley, how did that feel and how do you compare the new stadium to the old one?
I like the new Wembley; I know a lot of people don’t. There has been a lot of criticism about the pitch and the cost, but there is no denying that it is one of the greatest stadiums in the world. There is no question about that. The old one is what is was. It was iconic and historic. I was fortunate that I was able to play at the new Wembley. I think it is an honour whether you are a current player or a retired one.
So back to South Africa, what is the weather like and do you think it will help England’s chances at this World Cup?
Everybody is tired of talking about the weather out here. It is winter and it’s cold. The first few days were really nice but the weather has simply taken over and now it is really cold. It is the same as England and I think some people don’t seem to grasp that because they see that the sun is still shining. Some of our colleagues were in minus seven degrees the other day. It can be really cold but it isn’t wet and it isn’t damp. I’m looking up right now at a clear blue sky and it is actually quite nice. People need to remember it is the first winter World Cup since Argentina in 1978, but I do think this is a lot colder than what Argentina was back then.
Do you think Fabio Capello should stick with Robert Green for the next game?
Yes I do. Robert Green was his number one choice at the beginning of the tournament and I think he has to stick with him.
Ledley King looks like he could miss most of the tournament, who do you think should replace him and partner John Terry at the back?
Well I don’t think Ledley King is completely out of the tournament, I think it is going to be a couple of weeks before we see him again though. It looks like Carragher is probably going to come in because of his experience. I mean, Matthew Dawson doesn’t even have a cap does he? I don’t think he does. Capello should probably go with Terry and Carragher.
As a former forward yourself, which one of our strikers would you use alongside Wayne Rooney?
I would play Heskey. I think he played well against USA last week. Heskey set up the goal; we know he isn’t a prolific goal scorer but he never has been. I think arguably Wayne Rooney has played his best football for England when playing alongside Heskey. I think we should talk about Rooney a bit more, never mind Heskey. I really do not think that Rooney did anything in the USA game.
You mentioned the USA game which we drew 1-1, what do you see happening to England in the remainder of the World Cup?
I expect a much better performance against Algeria and Slovenia and I do think we will get that as well. It puts it into perspective when you look at the Spain game. They lost 1-0 to Switzerland and they are supposed to win the whole tournament. I think we will just play a lot better. Then we can progress into the knockout stage and then reach the quarter-finals and the semi-finals, depending on who the opposition are and what our squad numbers are like. I think it is really hard to predict, if Wayne Rooney comes off injured in the next game against Algeria then it all changes. I think we can get to the semi-finals and then with a bit of luck you never know.
Finally, who is the most interesting person you have met whilst staying in South Africa?
(Laughs) Well our security man is pretty interesting I can tell you. I think I’d have to say Michael Laudrup. I met him the other day and had a good chat with him.
"Mark Bright is supporting The Prostate Cancer Charity Tour Rides, which enable people to ride a leg of the official Tour of Britain route. Visit www.tourride.co.uk to find out more."